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On Monday 29th October 1988, Sega of Japan released the Sega Mega Drive; a 16-bit system that elevated console gaming to a new level, took Nintendo by surprise and would go on to make Sega a household name across the world.

30 years on, and the console is still fondly remembered by many gamers all over the world and REZtron, a London-based company that hosts Sega-themed events in high-profile bars, decided to celebrate the this incredible anniversary by hosting an event at the Capeesh Sky Bar in London's Canary Wharf.

The bar is situated on the 48th floor and as a result offers fantastic panoramic views of the London skyline - add to this a fantastic drink selection and loads of Sega consoles and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate, so of course, we went along to join in.

As you might imagine, a trendy rooftop bar isn't the ideal setup for hosting such an event and while there were a few 14-inch CRT TV's available (our favourite being the Philips Discover set) they'd made excellent use of space by also projecting gameplay onto the ceiling. There's something unique and fun about playing a game this way and while not ideal for lengthy gaming sessions, the point of the event was to socialise and chat about memories of the machine, just as much it was to actually play it.

It wasn't the busiest REZtron event we've attended, but then they aren't usually held on a school night! There were still plenty of people enjoying the games and chatting about when they first laid eyes on this amazing machine, and how incredible it was back then with the games offering graphics and sound we never imagined would ever be bettered. It was great to see people still getting enjoyment from playing the amazing library of games the Mega Drive offers 30 years on; proof that great gameplay will always stand the test of time.

Now, back to playing Sonic and Thunder Force IV on Switch. In the meantime, check out the video below for a flavour of what REZtron's event are all about.

This article was originally published by nintendolife.com on Tue 30th October, 2018.